Automatic clutch-operating mechanism of knitting-machines.



APPLICATION FILED JULY 21.1917- Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

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ERNEST ALLWOOD, 0F HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TOALEXANDER FRANKLIN ZIMMERMAN AND ONE-THIRD TO JOHN ELEY, BOTH OFHAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC CLUTCH-OPERATING MECHANISM OF KNITTING-MACHINES.

Application filed July 21, 1917.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST ALLwooD, of thecity of Hamilton, in the county of Wentworth, in the Province ofOntario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Clutch- Operating Mechanism ofKnitting-Machines, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvements 1n automatic clutch operatingmechanlsm of knitting machines and the object of the invention is toprovide simple positive means for automatically throwing out the mamclutch of a knitting machine so as to stop the revolving of the cylinderholding the needles of the machine when an obstruction occurs in thepath of the lmitting needles where the web is being formed between therevolving cylinders of the machine and it consists essentially of thefollowing arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter moreparticularly explained.

Figure l is a sectional plan view through the main portion of a knittingmachine showing my device applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective detail of my operating mechanism andtwo fragmentary portions of the upper and lower revolving cylinders ofthe knittlng mach ne.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of the bear ng holding the plunger rod andwith a portion of the plunger rod extending therethrough.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin the various figures.

' In Figs. 2, 1 and 2 indicate fragmentary portions of the revolvingcylinders of the knitting machine, which are provided with needleholding grooves 3 and 4. The position of the cylinders in Fig. 1 1sindlcated by dotted line 5.

I do not describe these cylinders in detall as they are common to aknitting machlne forming a cylindrical web.

Between the cylinders an intervenlng space 5 is formed across which theneedles operate to knit the fabric web. It sometimes occurs that a knotor enlargement n the wool is formed in this space. If this knot wereallowed to remain it would cause the loading up of the fabric andthereby breaking a number of needles before the machine could be stoppedin the ordinary way.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 28, 1919.

Serial No. 182,045.

Sometimes also the beard or pointed portion of a needle breaks andprojects across this space also causing the breaking of a number ofneedles before the machine can be stopped. In order to overcome this Ihave provided the following mechanism.

6 indicates the circular stationary table of the knitting machine, whichsurrounds the lower head. 7 indicates a bearing bracket carried by thetable 6 provided with a vertical bearing portion 7 8 indicates a bearingbracket depending from the table having a bearing portion 8 in verticalalinement with the bearing portion 7 F. 9 indicates a vertical shaftsupported in the bearings 7 x and 8*.

10 indicates an arm mounted upon the shaft 9 and turnable thereon in ahorizontal plane. The outer end of the arm is provided with a horizontalbearing portion 1O provided with a rectangular orifice 11 extendingtherethrough. 12 indicates a plunger rod provided with a notch 12*. 13indicates a slot formed in the sleeve portion 10 in alinement with whichthe notch 12 is normally held.

'141 indicates a spring surrounding the plunger bar 12 and extendingbetween the bearing portion 10 and a pin 15. 16 indicates a swinging armprovided with a tail piece 16 which extends through the slot 13 and intothe notch 12*. 17 indicates a horizontal member carried by the upper endof the shaft 9. 18 indicates a slide bar held in slotted bearing lugs 19and 20. The inner end of the bar 18 is provided with a head 21 having anarc-shaped edge 22. 23 indicates a slide bar held in slotted lugs 24 and25, such slide bar 23 being coupled to the slide bar 18 by a couplingmember 26. 27 indicates a projection which extends outwardly from theslide bar 18 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. 28 indicates atension spring connected at one end to the bearing lug 25 andat theopposite end to the slide bar 23 and normally holding the slide bar inthe inserted position. 29 indicates an arm extending from the bracket 730 indicates a lever pivotally connected intermediately of its length tothe arm 29. The upper end of the lever bears against the outer end ofthe projection 27. The lower end of the lever 30 is provided with a forkportion 31 between the members of which is pivotally mounted a slidepiece 32 having a downwardly inclined upper edge portion 33 whichextends at its extreme end beneath the outer end of the swinging arm 16.

34 indicates the driving pulley of the knitting machine mounted upon a.shaft 36 and provided with a clutch member 36. 37 indi cates a' clutchmember slidably mounted upon the shaft 35, such clutch member beingprovided with an annular groove 38 with which the fork member 39 co-actsto move the clutch in and out of engagement, such clutch member beingmounted upon a rocking rod 40, which is normally operated by a handlever 41. 42 indicates an arm extending from the sleeve 43 mounted uponthe rocking rod 40. 44 indicates a spider member mount ed upon the lowerhead of the knitting machine at 45 concentrically therewith. 46indicates a rod connected at one end to the spider member 44 andextending at its opposite end freely through the arm 42. 47 indicatenuts threaded upon the outer end of the rod 46. 48 indicates a pinextending from the spider member 44. 49 indicates an arm pivoted to thespider member at 50 and extending outwardly therefrom in close proximityto the pin 48. 51 indicates a tension spring connecting the arm 49 inproximity to its outer end to a stationary pin 52, which is preferablycarried by the table 6. 53 indicates a pin extending upwardly from theouter end. of the arm 49. 54 indicates a hook member carried by theshaft 9 as to be turnable thereon, the arm 10 and hook member 54 beingso connected together as to turn in unison upon the shaft 9.

It may be stated generally that the main shaft .35 is in drivingconnection with the cylinders by means of a bevel gear 55 mount- .edthereon and in mesh with and drivin the scribe the operation of thesame.

Should aknot or Other obstruction form in the space 5 so as to bridgethe same it is carried into contact with the inner end of the slide bar18 forcing such slide bar outwardly and carrying the projections 27against the upper end of the lever 30, forcing such upper end outwardlyand the lower end of the lever inwardly thereof carrying the inclinedportion 33 of the slide piece 32 into engagement with the lower edge ofthe swingablepiece 16 so as to carry the tail piece 16* thereof out ofengagement with the notch 12 of the slide bar 12. The spring 14 thenoperates to carry the inner end of the bar 12 into engagement with theteeth of the revolving gear 59.

When the inneend of the rod 12 is brought into engagement with the teethit is thrown outwardly thereby swinging the arm 10 upon the shaft 9 andcarrying the hooked arm 54 connected thereto out of engagement with thepin As soon as the pin 53 is released the tension spring 51 carried thearm 49 sharply into contact with the pin 48 thereby revolving the spidermember 44 a sufficient distance to draw the rod 46 longitudinally sothat the nuts 47 thereof engage with the arm 42. As the nuts 47 engagethearm 42 they rock the clutch rod 40 in an inward direc tion so as tocarry the clutch member 37 out of engagement with the clutch member 36and thereby throw the machine instantaneously out of gear therebyobviating any danger of breaking a number of needles,

which is always found to take place under these circumstances when a"machine is manually thrown out of gear as it is seldom that an operatorwill notice the immediate fo-r mation of a knot or breaking of a needlein sufiicient time to stop" the machine before a certain amount ofdamage has been done. By my device immediately a' knot is formed or aneedle broken the obstruction so formed will automatically operate mymechanism to instantaneously throw the machine out of gear and therebyobviate damage to the needles of the machine and the-consequent loss oftime in replacing them with new ones.

What I claim as my invention is":

1. In a knitting machine, the combination with the main clutch and maingear and releasable mechanism for drawing the clutch members out ofengagement, of a hook member engaging such mechanism in the lockedposition, a longitudinally movable spring held bar extending at itsinner end between the cylinders of the knitting machine, a spring heldplunger adapted to engage the main gear of the knitting machine whenreleased, a lever pivoted intermediately of its length and with theupper end of which the longitudinally movable spring held bar isdesigned to engage when moved outwardly, a swingable member engaging thespring held plunger at one end for holding it in the withdrawn position,a slide piece carried by the lower end of the aforesaid lever and havinga downwardly inclined upper edge portion at its free end extendingbeneath the opposite end of the swingable member, and means operated bythe engagement of the plunger with the main gear of the knitting machinefor carrying the hook member out of engagement with the clutch holdingmechanism. 7

2. In a lmitting machine, the combination with the main clutch and maingear and releasable mechanism for drawing the clutch members out ofengagement, of a hook member engaging such mechanism in the lockedposition, a vertical shaft supported in suitable bearings carried by thelmitting machine, a longitudinally movable spring held bar carried bythe upper end of the shaft so as to extend at its inner end between thecylinders of the knitting machine, a hook member carried by the 19 lowerend of the shaft so as to turn relatively thereto, an arm extending fromthe shaft connected to the hook member, a spring held plunger rodslidably held in such arm adapted to engage said main gear, means forlook ing the plunger rod in the Withdrawn position, and means operatedby the longitudinal movement of the spring held bar for releasing theplunger rod.

ERNEST ALLWOOD. Witnesses:

GERTRUDE NICHOLSON, LAURA Bounon.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G."

